Sunday, September 5, 2010

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

So my absolute favorite TV channel, Turner Classic Movies, is set to blow the roof off this mutha in October, with a month-long tribute to Hammer Films, and a mind-blowing marathon of terror gems the entire Halloween weekend. I'll be devoting a post to it later this week, but suffice to say I'm beyond psyched.

Speaking of Halloween, the B-Sol tradition of dressing up for the trick-or-treaters continues this year for the fifth time in a row, although I'm a bit stumped this time. I've been Superman, the Invisible Man, Indiana Jones and a zombie thus far. I'm thinking I might go vampire this year...

The season finale of True Blood is just one week away, prolonged thanks to the Labor Day weekend. Don't want to give anything away, but I'm pretty bummed at the apparent loss of a couple of great characters. Nevertheless, I appreciate the reasons for it, from a dramatic point of view.

Can I just say how glad I am that I not only subscribed to Time-Life's superb "Enchanted World" series of books back in the '80s, but also kept them all this time. It's an incredible series of tomes on various aspects of ancient folklore and myth, and if you should ever come across them in a garage sale somewhere, I heartily recommend snatching them up.

Am I the only one who thinks it a damn shame that there was never an I Was a Teenage Gill Man?

Haven't had an opportunity to catch The Last Exorcism yet, but I've been seeing some very divided reactions out there, which quite frankly are leaning toward the negative. I'm thinking I'll skip it this week and check out Machete instead.

As a lifelong Tolkien worshiper, one of my greatest thrills in seeing Peter Jackson's superb trilogy realized on screen was having the Orcs of Middle-Earth come to life. Tolkien was never particularly descriptive as to what they actually looked like, and it was fun to witness Jackson's interpretation. Personally, I had always imagined them as looking something like the Gamorrean guards of Jabba the Hutt's palace...

After being reminded of its greatness by a mention on Andre Dumas' blog The Horror Digest, I once again watched one of my all-time favorite films, Amadeus, and I have to say--that opening scene, in which Salieri tries to slit his own throat, might just be the goriest moment I've ever seen in a straight-up Oscar-bait type dramatic motion picture. Beautiful stuff.

So...Clash of the Titans 2? Really? I mean, are they going to be just making up stuff and adding it to the original Perseus legend of Greek myth? Does Perseus find himself down on his luck, a washed-up, aging adventurer who must lace up the leather boots one more time to prove he can still go the distance? Hmmm...anyone know if Burt Young is available to play his slovenly brother-in-law?

For those anxiously awaiting my opinions on Piranha 3-D--I know you're out there somewhere--just a little heads up. I wrote a review of the film for the blog Babbling About Books...And More, to which I've contributed in the past. From what I understand, the review should be posted some time tomorrow, so keep a look out for it!

I really don't get the hate directed towards The Last Exorcism. I'm assuming its the ending which you're referring to which has been the focus of most of the hubbub. For me, it was completely logical and the perfect bookend to the story. Needless to say, I was satisfied and I don't really see how it could have ended any other way. I really think you'd like it.

Costume: not a vampire, unless you're gonna do a Max Schrek Nosferatu. Vampires are teen romance fodder now. Might as well dress up like Justin Bieber.

Time Life: the series you reference is one among many great TL productions.

Orcs: I too thought of them as the porcine Gamorreans. But Jackson's variety of despicable and disgusting foot soldiers of darkness blew me away.

Clash 2: even though I haven't seen the remake, I am left wondering what was left unanswered? Doesn't Perseus save the world, kill the monsters and get the girl? Suggestion requiring the casting of Burt Young is double plus good.

Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...